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Netflix is the latest company to try bypassing Apple’s app store

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Re: Netflix is the latest company to try bypassing Apple’s app store

#141

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's reasonable as a default choice. It's not reasonable as the only choice.

On the flip side, Apple standing its ground and forcing poor companies to get their apps approved by Apple played a big role in South Korea's mobile banking experience not being a total shitfest filled with five Windows-only security plugins (per bank) that will fight with the user and each other. Sure, in an alternative universe, you can always say no to the whole nation's banking industry and refuse to do mobile ba…

Very interesting, do you have any cites for that? S. Korea has always been dominated by Android phones (and specifically Samsung, the home brand), so it's amazing that Apple gets the credit for the mobile banking experience. What's even more amazing is that iPhones weren't even sold in Korea until 2010, long after most Korean banks had released mobile apps, so Apple must have somehow manipulated time and space to change Korean mobile banking...

Re: Netflix is the latest company to try bypassing Apple’s app store

#144
post #75
post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> "he 30% cut they ask of developers is more than reasonable." Not really, the fee's much of big tech often puts on people are draconian, and they are able to continue doing so because of the monopolies they hold. 30% is huge. Just try running a business when you loose 30% strait off the top line. > "Want to bypass that cut?" break the monopolies. The cuts big tech muscle on their constituents actually hurts them in…

Because instead of having 2 players that ask for 30% cut, having 6 that do the same is going to make Netflix any happier. There's no reason to think other similar platforms wouldn't charge the same. Look at GOG vs Steam, both charge 30% too, even tho GOG is much smaller market and for devs it means spending resources making the GOG version in addition to the Steam version, GOG still charges as much as Steam and doesn…

Well in the case of games, you end up with the big players making their own store like EA did with Origin (or Epic, Blizzard....) Which kinda sucks since you now have a bunch of apps with different logins.

I'm also not convinced you would end up with 6 players all taking the same %. Take a smaller cut, and offer a lower price to the consumer so people use your store.

Re: Netflix is the latest company to try bypassing Apple’s app store

#145

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Fahrenheit 451 analogy sort of falls apart though when they give open access to the internet via Safari. What Apple does with the App Store is maintain a safe & friendly environment for users, where they can trust they won't run into things like viruses or pornography. This creates a healthy market for developers who don't necessarily have the notoriety of a Netflix / Spotify / Amazon to push their product, and i…

Your parent is arguing not that it's wrong to charge a 30% cut to list in the app store, but that it's wrong of Apple to prevent loading apps from any source besides the app store.

Essentially its probably difficult to charge 30% in a market where people have reasonably easy access to multiple markets in the same way its hard to charge $20 per gallon of milk in markets where people can drive to other grocery stores its a monopoly rent.

Re: Netflix is the latest company to try bypassing Apple’s app store

#146
post #59
post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a consumer, I love it. I love that I buy an iPhone and Apple doesn't allow any non-trusted binaries to run on my phone, enforces strict style guidelines (the average app just looks better on my iPhone than Android IMO), has one place where all possible apps are, maintains a distribution channels that allows all my apps to be updated easily, and builds hardware and software that is designed to work together. I love…

Is it that you love that they don't give you the choice of restricting or not restricting installs? Or simply appreciate that app vetting and security are services you're willing to pay for. It seems more like the latter, but you're expressing more like the former. I can see the value in the vetting service to a lot of people, but I just don't understand the idea of embracing a forced restriction on other people that…

> I can see the value in the vetting service to a lot of people, but I just don't understand the idea of embracing a forced restriction on other people that you happen to like yourself.

Here are some benefits to the one-size-fits-all policy Apple uses:

* Developers are forced to comply with Apple's rules. Otherwise companies could develop shitty apps that use private APIs to work around Apple's restrictions and then force customers to open up their devices to use it.

* Apple and every 3rd-party support person/company/family member in the world isn't forced to deal with a steady stream of "Somebody told me to change this setting and now my phone has a virus" support requests.

* People aren't misled (more than they already are) about the safety of the iOS ecosystem by a steady stream of news stories about people who changed the setting and got their phone infected.

Re: Netflix is the latest company to try bypassing Apple’s app store

#147

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple and Google not only created the device and funded the R & D for the features, but also created the APIs, the tools, the infrastructure, and attracted the (hundreds of millions of) users. The 30% cut they ask of developers is more than reasonable. Want to bypass that cut? Build a web app and make it play well on mobile. I can understand the argument that they should accept the 30% cut to be listed in and downloa…

The Fahrenheit 451 analogy sort of falls apart though when they give open access to the internet via Safari. What Apple does with the App Store is maintain a safe & friendly environment for users, where they can trust they won't run into things like viruses or pornography. This creates a healthy market for developers who don't necessarily have the notoriety of a Netflix / Spotify / Amazon to push their product, and i…

What would people do if the web backend that safari and third party browsers are obligated to use refused to let you access a particular site?

Its trivial to censor if you don't have a right to install the software you prefer.

Re: Netflix is the latest company to try bypassing Apple’s app store

#148
post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple and Google not only created the device and funded the R & D for the features, but also created the APIs, the tools, the infrastructure, and attracted the (hundreds of millions of) users. The 30% cut they ask of developers is more than reasonable. Want to bypass that cut? Build a web app and make it play well on mobile. I can understand the argument that they should accept the 30% cut to be listed in and downloa…

> However, an iOS device is also the property of its owner and the owner should be allowed (morally) to install software outside the app store. Even if that comes with potential security problems. Android already permits this. The owner has the choice between iOS and Android. Why should Apple change their policies (and lose revenue) if the majority of users appear to be sufficiently happy with those restrictions (oth…

Competitive markets ultimately benefit all users even if users aren't smart enough to promote their existence by voting with their wallets.

Kind of like having fire exits benefits users even if people don't pick retailers based on their existence.

Re: Netflix is the latest company to try bypassing Apple’s app store

#149
post #10

Apple and Google not only created the device and funded the R & D for the features, but also created the APIs, the tools, the infrastructure, and attracted the (hundreds of millions of) users. The 30% cut they ask of developers is more than reasonable. Want to bypass that cut? Build a web app and make it play well on mobile. If you want to run it on Android and iOS devices, then I don't really see how anyone can say…

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Re: Netflix is the latest company to try bypassing Apple’s app store

#150
post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I won't deny that there are many many users that do not care. However, I disagree that there is a real choice in the current duopoly. Android allows you to install applications outside the app store. However, you trade this possibility for continuous data harvesting by Google and only a limited window of updates. So, the choice is largely: some freedom ^ (privacy | long-term updates) Freedom, privacy, and long-term u…

Just because you aren't having all your desires perfectly catered to does not mean that there is not real choice. It means that, like everything else in life, you have to make tradeoffs.

Since apple management is 0.000001% of the population why can't we just abrogate the trade off by making them do what we prefer in the name of consumer choice.
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